CASE STUDY QuiltWorks

Where did I start all this?
Like many small businesses, we began in the two front rooms of our house ! ... in 2005. "... and we had a passion for creating a creative business" Colour abounds on our shelves and our fabulous range of patterns inspires our customers to get started on that special quilting project immediately.

And NO it hasn't been easy ... and the hardest part for us has probably been staying in business for this length of time. It has been a slow process of consolidating our business. Two years ago we made the decision to build our own building and have just finished subdividing off the back half of our section. We have two part timers, plus my husband does all our sewing machine repairs ... he is not paid, except with love & kindness ... and I work full time of course. Does that sound familiar for a small business?

The business assessment helped us find the gaps in what we were doing as a business:

• A simple picture of where our business was at
• Made us think on how to build our business capability
• We could track how we were doing as we grew
• ... but most of all we could work with business advisers who could really help us

We are on the edge of the business zone in Waipukurau, which is primarily a rural district in Central Hawkes Bay. Quilting obviously falls into the creative niche and as such we have found that patchwork people are target specific shoppers ... so being off the main road has not been a disadvantage ... and actually the parking is much easier. Even though we maybe in a rural township in a little country at the lower end of the South Pacific, the rest of the world is very very close. The biggest challenge to our ongoing success is the competition we face from online shops, most especially the USA businesses. Our fabrics and notions tend to be dearer due to freight and distributor costs. When the NZ dollar is high, this is particularly so.

We service a very large regional area (Palmerston North to Napier) and try very hard to encourage people from out of our local area to come shop with us. Our customers come from all over New Zealand as patch workers will always check out the local shop. We have now got an online website and we are continuing to develop that side of the business. We are also in the throes of developing craft tours and would like to tap into the huge cruise ship market that is part of Hawkes Bay. We have ventured into the Australian export market with a quilt hanger, invented and manufactured by my husband.

So if you wish to visit us ... here is where we are ... If travelling north, Marlborough Street is the last on your left before the bridge over the Tuki Tuki River. When travelling south, we are the first right when you get over the bridge. We are at 29 River Terrace.

Look forward to seeing you.

Clare Moore
Quilt Works Ltd
29 River Tce
Waipukurau 4200
New Zealand
+64 6 8589280
www.quiltworks.co.nz

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